


Like Mother, Like Daughter

by imaginarygirl



Category: Arrow (TV 2012), DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV), Doctor Who (2005)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-07
Updated: 2021-02-21
Packaged: 2021-03-03 19:00:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 18,243
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24590446
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/imaginarygirl/pseuds/imaginarygirl
Summary: It turns out Sara has a lot more in common with her mother than she realised.
Comments: 29
Kudos: 41





	1. Chapter 1

When Thea had reached out to her about the Black Canary statue that they were unveiling in honour of Laurel the last thing Sara had wanted to do was go back to Star City. Going back meant facing up to the truth that her sister was really gone. As long as she was on the Waverider she could pretend it was all a bad dream. By not going, Sara was able to carry on as she had been, not looking back for fear of the pain she’d see there. Star City could carry on being exactly as she remembered it before Laurel died and she could almost trick herself into believing that Laurel was still out there fighting.

Sara had lost count of the number of times considered visiting Laurel’s statue in the months that passed but every time she decided that she couldn’t face it. So instead she had thrown herself into the mission and tried to forget what had happened to her sister. 

It was after the invasion of the Dominators that Sara knew she couldn’t go on like this anymore. She had to face up to the truth, no matter how much it hurt. Seeing Laurel alive and well in their shared hallucination had been so surreal. It helped Sara to realise that denying what had happened was never going to help her move on. So, while her team were busy celebrating their latest victory, Sara slipped away in the jump ship so visit Star City and see her sister’s statue for the first time. 

What she wasn’t prepared for was how emotional she found it when, a few hours later, she found herself sitting on a bench still trying to stop her tears from falling. She had come in the middle of the night and very few people had walked past and even fewer had even noticed her. That is why Sara was so surprised when someone sat down next to her. Years of League training had meant that she was always on high alert. As soon as had they sat down, they were met with her knife at their throat.

“Sara!” 

Sara looked around. “Mom?” She said in shock, putting her knife away.

“What are you doing out here in the middle of the night?” Dinah asked. It did not escape Sara’s notice that her mother seemed unfazed by having a knife held to her throat, but she was almost scared to ask why.

“I could ask the same of you.”

Dinah sighed. “I come out here often. Being here makes me feel close to her again. It’s not like I can travel back in time and see her.” 

“Hmm.” Sara agreed. That was an odd comment for her mom to make. 

They sat in silence together for a while, neither quite knowing what to say. It had been so long since they spent any real time alone together and it made Sara sad to notice that conversation between them no longer flowed as easily as it once had. 

“Would you go back, if you could?” Sara asked, breaking the silence. She had the opportunity to go back to a time when Laurel was alive and a part of her was desperate to give her mother that choice as well, consequences be damned.

“I think you and I both know that would be a bad idea.” Dinah replied. There was undeniably a sadness in her voice. That was something Sara understood all too well. What she didn’t expect was the hint of a teasing undertone. It felt almost knowing, like when Sara was younger browsing through the shops picking out what she wanted to buy when Dinah knew she had already bought it for her as a Christmas present. Sara had learned to pick up on those cues as a child, and she and Laurel became pretty good at guessing what they would find under the tree each year.

Sara couldn’t resist calling her out this time. “What?” 

“Oh, come on Sara! Do you really think I didn’t know where, or should I say when, you’ve been this last year?” 

“How did you know?” Sara asked.

“I keep my ear to the ground.”

“You said we both know how bad it would be to visit Laurel in the past.” She commented, unable to ask the question itself, almost cringing at how ridiculous the notion was. 

“I haven’t been in Central City this whole time, if that’s what you were asking. I think sometimes kids forget that their parents had a whole other life before they were born. After you went missing, and then after Laurel… I had to get away again.”

Sara had so many questions it was hard to decide which to ask first.

“Where did you go?” 

“I went looking for an old friend. He and I travelled together every now and then.”

“How did you meet him?” She asked.

“Oh, now that is a very long story!” Dinah replied. “Let’s just say he knew your grandparents and our paths kept crossing.”

“Something tells me there’s more to the story.”

“Just like something is telling me you weren’t in Nanda Parbat the whole time you were away.” 

Sarah raised her eyebrows in disbelief. How did her mom know so much about where she’d been?

“I guess we both have our secrets.” She replied. There was a lot for her to take in and she had no idea how to process all this new information Dinah had given her.

Dinah simply smiled sadly at her daughter. “That we do.” She said. 

The awkward silence returned. Sara now knew they had a lot more in common than she’d realised but it definitely did not help them talk comfortably again. Far from it, in fact, as she tried to reconcile in her mind how little she knew about her mother. 

This time it was Dinah who spoke up first. “Let’s steer away from the heavy topics for tonight, I think we’ve had a lot to take in. How about we start with something a bit easier. Where’s the best place you’ve visited?”

Sara thought for a while. “I had some fun in 1958.” She mused, thinking back to the nurse she’d befriended and being unable to stop the blush that was appearing on her face. She was thankful for the cover of night to hide her reaction from her mother. “But I definitely didn’t want to stay there. We got stuck for two years.”

“Two years! What happened?”

“Our ship got taken over and by the time they were able to get back to us we’d already lived two years. There was no way they could have come back sooner after that.”

“No, of course not.”

“Where was your favourite place?”

“I have so many to choose from!” Dinah exclaimed. “I went to Germany once to try and kill Hitler, that was a lot of fun!” She said. “But traveling to other planets has always been by far my favourite thing. After studying archaeology in the future, it was fascinating to go back and visit all these places I had learned about while they were still around and thriving.”

“Wow, there’s a lot there to unpack!” Sara said, feeling slightly taken aback by the onslaught of new information. “You killed Hitler?”

“Tried to.” Dinah shrugged. “No different from you and Vandal Savage.”

“How did you know about that?”

“Archaeologist from the future.” She smirked. “I’ve followed a lot of your adventures, even ones that haven’t happened yet.”

“Like what?”

“Spoilers!” Dinah laughed. “You know what it’s like with two time travellers, you rarely meet each other in the right order.” Sarah was pouting, unhappy that her mother wouldn’t even give her a hint of what she would be up against. “Don’t look at me like that, that face didn’t work when you tried to get out of going to school and it’s not going to work now.”

Sarah changed the subject. “Do you have your own ship then, or do you only travel with your friend?”

Dinah rolled up her coat sleeve. “I have this.” She said, pointing to the chunky device around her wrist. “It’s called a vortex manipulator, great for small jumps. The Doctor has the TARDIS, although she’s always been more mine than she is his. And I know you’re flying on the Waverider. Where is it now?”

“I took the jump ship out. The rest of the team were having a bit of a party somewhere in the temporal zone when I left. I guess I wasn’t really in the mood to join them.”

Dinah leaned over and gave Sara a hug, which was all she needed for the flood of tears to return. “Shhhh.” She whispered, trying to soothe her heartbroken daughter.

Taking a deep breath, Sara tried to compose herself. “I’m sorry.” She said.

“You have nothing to apologise for. We both miss her like crazy and it hurts like hell. I’m your mother, Sara, if you can’t let it all out with me, when can you?”

“I feel like I hardly know you now. You’ve been living this whole other life and so have I.”

“I know, and I’m sorry. I’ve always needed to hide who I am for reasons was too complicated to get in to right now. But, now it’s out in the open, I’m hoping we can start building a relationship again?”

Sara smiled slightly. “I’d like that. Maybe you could come back to the Waverider with me and we can talk properly?” She suggested.

“I…umm…” Dinah hesitated.

“You don’t have to.” Sara added, feeling slightly hurt that her mother didn’t want to spend the time with her.

“No, I want to. Sweetheart, I really do. It’s just…”

“Complicated.” Sara finished for her, looking down at her shoes.

“Your captain and I have some history, I just don’t think it would be a good idea to spring this on him right now. I need some time to prepare myself for that. Maybe take a rain check?”

Sarah sighed. “Ok.” She conceded. “I should get back to the ship though, they’ll be wondering where I’ve got to.”

“Of course. But before you do, give me your phone.” Sara fished her cell phone out of her pocket and handed it over. She watched as Dinah pulled out some strange device and pointed it at her phone. The end lit up for a few seconds and the device buzzed. “There. Now you should be able to reach me whatever time zone we are in. If you ever need me.”

“Thank you.” Sara smiled. “I’ve missed you so much, mom. Now you know what’s going on maybe I can try and call a bit more often.”

“You’d better.” Dinah smiled. “I love you, sweetheart. Stay safe out there.”

“I will.” Sara replied as she turned to leave. She clicked the button on her keys to the jump ship and it uncloaked itself in front of her. “I love you too mom.”


	2. Chapter 2

Finally, the opportunity Sara had been waiting for landed on her lap. The rest of the team were all out and she was alone on the Waverider. She picked up her phone and called the only person she could reach in this time period.

“Sara!” Dinah said as she picked up, clearly delighted that her daughter was calling.

“Hi mom!” Sara smiled. “I was just thinking I’m alone on the Waverider and was wondering if you wanted to visit and see the ship.”

“I’d love to. What are your co-ordinates?” Sara asked Gideon, and relayed back the long string of numbers to her mother. The second she finished there was a quiet cracking sound and Dinah appeared in Sara’s bedroom.

“Mom!” Sara screamed, reminding Dinah so much of when she was a child. She hugged her daughter and for a second her mind was transported back to the days when Sara would be so excited to come home from school to spend time with her. Spending quality time with her girls while they were young was all she had ever wanted. After Sara disappeared on the Queen’s Gambit, Dinah felt she had lost a piece of herself and being around reminders of those simpler times was just too painful.

“So, this is the Waverider?” Dinah asked, spinning around to get a better look at the room she was in. “Do I get to have the grand tour?”

“Of course!” Sara smiled. She showed her mother around the ship as they caught with each other’s recent adventures. On Dinah’s advice, Sara had started keeping a journal of the times they met in case they were ever in the wrong order. Since discovering about her mother’s secret time-travelling life, she had quickly learned that her favourite word appeared to be ‘spoilers’. She would never tell Sara anything about her future. As much as it frustrated her, Sara knew that it was for the best. Sara had found it to come in handy herself though when she accidentally ran into her mother in Central City before the night at Laurel’s statue. As she was still relatively new to time travel, she had to admit she was having a hard time keeping their meetings straight in her head. She realised that Dinah had similar relationships with who knew how many other time travellers and silently wondered how she kept up with the different timelines so well. 

Of all that had happened, Sara was perhaps most relieved that she could finally share what had happened in the years following the Queen’s Gambit with someone other than Oliver who, really, was not the best at opening up about anything, or Nyssa, who in Sara’s experience had a similar problem. Dinah had known about the League, but never in much detail. She did, as Sara came to learn, have some experience in being trained as an assassin. They had bonded over this possibly more than Sara had ever thought they could. They both understood that killing was rarely a black and white issue in their line of work, but equally the toll each life taken took on one’s humanity. 

As the pair were sipping wine in the kitchen a while later, they came to talking about the past once more. It seemed the safest topic as each knew more about the future than the other probably should.

“So, were you still travelling when Laurel and I were growing up?” Sara asked.

“Only very occasionally, when the Doctor needed my help.” 

Sara had come to learn a lot about the Doctor: the man who changed faces and had lived for hundreds, if not thousands, of years. She knew he was a Time Lord, which was different from a Time Master. A whole different species, in fact. But amongst all that surrealness the one thing she knew for certain was that her mother was in love with this man. He was the man she had been trained and conditioned to kill but she loved him so much she was willing to risk the universe for him. It was an epic tale and Sara couldn’t help but feel a little jealous of the love they shared. She wasn’t even upset that Dinah had moved on from her dad. It was amazing to see her so happy.

“Why did you stop?”

“Because of you girls. You know how dangerous things can get, even the simplest trip could end in disaster. I couldn’t risk leaving you alone so young.” She replied. “Besides, I had a hard enough time tearing myself away from you for the few hours you were at school each day, and then when you both went off to college! Do you really think I could have gone off to another planet and not missed you too much?”

“You started travelling again after I went missing, didn’t you?”

Dinah nodded. “I needed an escape. I was driving myself and Quentin mad looking for any sighting of you I could find. When I told your sister and him that I was moving to Central City I think they were glad to see the back of me! That’s when I went back to the university to put those archaeology skills to better use.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you I was alive sooner, mom.” Sara said sadly. 

Dinah knew Sara still felt guilty about that every day. She also knew that nothing she could say would make her feel better. Instead, she simply wrapped her arms around her daughter and gave her a tight squeeze. 

Sara had missed her mother’s hugs. There was something so comforting about them. It might be the only time she noticed herself fully being able to relax and tune out the world. She was safe in Dinah’s arms. 

“Ahem.” Someone cleared their throat from the doorway. Sara jumped back, shocked in herself for not hearing them approach. “Sara, who on earth is this?”

The woman Sara was hugging turned around to face the man by the door.

“River!” Rip yelled in surprise.

“Dad?” Dinah replied, equally shocked. 

“What are you doing here?” Rip asked.

“Wait, what?” Sara interrupted, her mind frantically trying to catch up with what was happening in front of her. “Did you say dad?” She asked Dinah.

“Sara, how do you know River?”

“If you’re referring to Dinah, she’s my mom.” Sara replied to Rip, who she was worried was about to faint where he stood.

“She’s your…” Rip hesitated. “But that means you’re my…” He stuttered, gripping on to the wall for support. 

Sara turned back to face Dinah. “Did you know?” She asked. “Is that why you wouldn’t come on the ship?”

Dinah nodded, turning to Rip to try and explain herself. “After I heard about mom, I couldn’t face seeing you.” She admitted. “It was so painful losing you both the first time, I didn’t think I could go through that again.”

“So instead you just went on with your life?” Rip asked, raising his voice. “You stayed away, depriving me of my chance to be there for any more of your milestones? I feel like missed so much of your life growing up, and now you’ve stopped me from getting to watch my granddaughters grow up as well?”

Dinah sunk back in her chair. Neither Sara nor Rip could recall ever seeing her look so small and timid.

“You still raised me, dad. I know it wasn’t in the way you expected but neither of us could have done anything about that.” 

“What about Sara? Were you ever going to tell me she was my granddaughter? What about Laurel? I never even had the chance to meet her!”

Sara had been about to slip out and give them some privacy before Rip mentioned her name. He was right, she had no right to keep Rip away from them growing up. Now she was torn between wanting answers and wanting to get away from what was quickly becoming a heated, and extremely complicated, argument.

“I wanted to keep my girls away from this life.” Dinah argued. “I mean, at the very least how was I supposed to explain this?” She asked, gesturing between Rip and herself as if to emphasise how different the pair looked in age. “I look almost old enough to be your mother, for goodness sake!”

“Yeah, about that…” Sara piped up.

“That’s…” Both Rip and Dinah started, before trailing off.

“Another long story. Got it.” Sara concluded. “I think I’ll leave the two of you to catch up.” She decided, realising she would probably end up with more questions than answers if she stayed any longer.

She walked back to her room and flopped backward onto her bed. The mattress springs bounced back, causing her body to jump a little before she settled. Her mind was whirring at a hundred miles an hour just trying to find a way of processing what had just happened. She had so many questions. To start with, how did Rip have a 57-year-old daughter? He didn’t look much older than she did! She knew Rip kept secrets but this was a pretty big one even for him. And her mother, well Sara was starting to realise she had barely seen the tip of the iceberg when it came to her secrets. 

Hearing Rip call her his granddaughter had changed something for Sara. Or, rather, it changed everything. She was starting to feel as angry as Rip had been. Her muscles tensed and she sat up in her bed. Dinah had kept them apart all her life and now, knowing they were working together, she still had not told them the truth. How dare she!

Against all her fighting instincts, Sara stayed put. She knew the two of them needed time to talk and frankly she did not want to see either of them right now anyway. What she really wanted, more than anything, was to see Laurel. To be able to talk this through with her and have someone to learn how to navigate this strange new normal with. Laurel was always the more level-headed sister growing up. She’d know what to do, Sara thought. She curled up on her bed, hugging the corner of her comforter and wishing her sister was there with her.

Meanwhile, Dinah and Rip were still in the kitchen.

“River, I just don’t understand. Please help me to. Why did you stay away for so long?” Rip pleaded.

“It was just easier that way.” Dinah admitted. 

“How?” He asked, taking the seat next to Dinah that Sara had recently vacated. 

“Not long after New York I met Quentin, the girls’ father. He didn’t know it at the time but he really helped me grieve for you both. He’s such a sweetheart – my knight in shining armour!” She smiled. “Once I found out that I was pregnant with Laurel I decided it was time to settle down.” Rip raised an eyebrow at this. “That’s exactly the look the Doctor gave me!” Dinah laughed.

“I just never thought you’d be the settling down type.”

“Neither did I. Motherhood changes a person.” She said. “Anyway, I stopped travelling altogether after that, except for the occasional time when that other husband of mine needed rescuing. I tried so hard to draw a line under that part of my life after I lost you both. It was only after Sara went missing that I started travelling again. It hurt so much, dad. I just couldn’t deal with any more pain. Even after I heard whispers that you might still be alive it was easier for me to carry on as I always had done, as I had told Quentin and my girls. If you were dead, I couldn’t be hurt like that again.” Dinah finished.

Rip was stunned into silence. He couldn’t imagine the pain his daughter had been through in her life. Suddenly he felt bad for shouting at her before. Of course, his sweet Melody would never keep his granddaughters from him to hurt him. She had to have had a reason. He leaned over and wrapped a hesitant arm around her shoulders, which seemed to be all Dinah needed for the floodgates to completely open. The pair were soon both sobbing and hugging each other as the anguish they’d both experienced over the last thirty years finally caught up with them. 

After a while, Rip pulled away. “I’m so sorry, River.”

“It’s not your fault, dad.”

“Every day I kick myself for how stupid I was. If only I hadn’t looked back at that gravestone.”

“You don’t know if it would have even made a difference.” Dinah tried to reassure him.

“I wouldn’t have had to leave you.” Rip sighed. “I suppose you probably know this, but after your mother died, I joined the Time Masters. I kept trying to find a way to save her but it was impossible.”

“Her death was a fixed point in time.” Dinah acknowledged. “I miss her every day too.”

Both Rip and Dinah felt some level of relief, or at least comfort that they were not alone in their grief. It was the first time either of them had spoken about Amy in such a long time. Even on her travels with the Doctor, Dinah had known better than to bring her mother up in conversation. It would do no one any good to remind him of that day, although she could imagine he probably replayed it in his head just as much as she did. 

“You know, one of us should probably check on Sara.” Rip said.

“I’ll go.” Dinah decided. “I have to face the music sooner or later.” She said as she tried to remember her way back to Sara’s bedroom.


	3. Chapter 3

It didn’t take Dinah long to locate her daughter’s room and she soon found herself stood outside the closed door trying to pluck up the courage to knock. On the other side, Sara was still on her bed but by now much of her anger had dissipated. She knew that her mom would not have kept these things a secret without a good reason. She was still upset that her mother was so comfortable with secrets and worried that she would constantly be waiting for the other shoe to drop, but she understood enough to be willing to hear her out.

Dinah didn’t know how long she had been stood there when she heard a voice from the other side of the door.

“You do know I heard you coming, right?” Sara called out. There were some skills the League of Assassins taught that one couldn’t just switch off when they wanted to relax.

“Can I come in?” Dinah asked.

“I’m not going to stop you.” Sara replied. Despite the time she’d had to think and calm herself down somewhat, she couldn’t help feeling like an angsty teenager whenever she fought with her mother.

Dinah came and sat at the corner of Sara’s bed. The young woman was curled up with her back to her and Dinah reached out and stroked her calf gently.

“I’m sorry I never told you.” Dinah started.

“I get why you didn’t.” Sara replied. And she really did. If being on the Waverider had taught her anything it was that time is complicated and sometimes you need to keep secrets from the people you love. “What I don’t understand is why you kept us apart. You could have told him about us, even if we didn’t know who he was.”

Sighing, Dinah tried her best to explain. “I was determined to keep that part of my life separate from you girls and your dad. Time travel can be messy and painful, I’m sure you know that.” Despite facing away from her mother, Sara nodded her head as she wiped the tears from her eyes. They stayed in silence for a while as Dinah gave Sara the chance to process what she had been told.

After a few minutes, Sara slowly began to sit up and face her mother. 

“Just because I understand, it doesn’t mean I forgive you.” Sara said. “That’s going to take some time.”

“Sara…” Dinah pleaded.

“No, mom. You hurt me and you hurt Rip. That’s not just going to go away.”

“What can I do to make it up to you?”

Sara thought for a minute. “I don’t know that you can.” She replied honestly. “You can’t change what happened and now we all have to find a way to move forwards.”

“Do you want space? I can leave if you want.” Dinah offered.

“Maybe that’s a good idea.” Sara replied sadly and Dinah’s heart broke to hear the pain in her daughter’s voice.

“You’ve grown up so much, Sara. I can only imagine what you think of me now isn’t good but I know we wouldn’t have been able to talk like this a few years ago. It makes me realise just how much of your life I’ve missed. I feel like we should start making up for lost time.”

“I don’t know how we can do that now.” She admitted.

“I’m sorry.” Dinah apologised again, sounding so despondent and so unlike the mother Sara had grown up with. “You can take all the time you need. Just know I’ll be waiting when you’re ready to talk to me again.”

Sara knew she didn’t want to lose her mother, especially as they were only starting to get to know each other again. However, she knew moving past this couldn’t be easy. Still, she figured they both needed to have some assurance that this fight wouldn’t break them.

“Maybe you could come travelling with us one day? If Rip is ok with it.” Sara offered, trying as best she could to extend an olive branch. “I don’t know that I’m quite ready for you to join us yet, but I think with some time I’ll be able to forgive you.”

“I’d love to travel with you.” Dinah said. “You just let me know when you’re ready and I’ll be there.”

“I will.” Sara replied. The pair sat quietly, a weight resting in the unspoken words between them.

Never being one for sitting comfortably in silence, Dinah took her cue to leave. “I’ll get going then.” She said, getting up from the bed and brushing the creases out of her clothing. “Tell your grandfather I’ll speak to him soon.” She added as she started to programme the co-ordinates for her Central City apartment into the vortex manipulator.

“Bye mom.” Sara whispered as the woman in front of her vanished before her eyes.

She really could not say when she’d feel able to call her mother up again and let her back into her life. She felt hurt and betrayed and nothing Dinah could do now would change that. But, like most people, she truly did want a relationship with her mom. The past few months when they met up and could finally talk about what they had been up to honestly had been amazing. She hadn’t felt that kind of connection with anyone in her family since before she disappeared. With her dad and Laurel, Sara always felt a need to protect them from the ugly truth of her past and the difficult day-to-day decisions she would make. But Dinah understood all of that. She knew about making tough calls and the burden they shared as time travellers. They had the power to change the world and couldn’t use it. Just like how they had the power to bring Laurel back. Nothing broke Sara’s heart more than the knowledge that she couldn’t help her sister, especially when in practical terms she absolutely could. 

As she found herself re-entering the too familiar rabbit hole of ‘what if’s’ and ‘if only I could do that’s’, Sara realised all she was doing was delaying the inevitable. She would have to face Rip at some point and ruminating on the thoughts that kept her awake at night was doing nothing to help her mood or change the situation. Instead, she did what the League had taught her and shoved those thoughts way down, putting them safely away in a box at the back of her mind. They would push themselves back to the surface again. They always did. But for now, Sara had to focus on Rip and what in the hell she was going to say to him. How does one even begin to address their long-lost grandparent who they’d known for the past few years as their captain?

Down the corridor, Rip was nursing a drink as he tried on any level to fathom what had just happened. How had he not known Sara was his granddaughter? Before he recruited the Legends, he had completed a thorough background search on each of them. When inviting someone to join you on a time ship the last thing a captain needed was for his crew to have skeletons in their closets that he wasn’t aware of. 

He started to question how River had evaded his background check on Sara before stopping himself. This was River Song he was thinking about. At such a young age she had found a way to grow up with him and Amy as Mels and no one questioned it. He doubted that it was intentional, her hiding her identity from him. Rip reasoned that she had probably done such a thorough job when she took on the identity of Dinah Lance no one would have been able to find her.

His mind then turned to Sara, the young woman he had recruited who had quickly proven herself worthy of being his unofficial second-in-command. The woman who had endured unthinkable horrors since being shipwrecked, trained with the League of Assassins, became a vigilante, and eventually fought alongside him to defeat Vandal Savage. The woman who, to his extreme disbelief, was his granddaughter. How on earth was he supposed to even begin to process that? He knew that every time he saw his daughter she ripped through his life something akin to a tornado, and for the most part he enjoyed the adventure. But this? It was as if she’d rewritten his entire identity. He was a grandparent now. What did that mean for him and Sara? For their relationship?

The more he thought about it, the more he realised that a large part of him was thrilled to have Sara as a granddaughter. He couldn’t deny that he was protective over her; he was protective over his entire team. But he was also immensely proud of how far she’d come. To have battled through the bloodlust the Lazarus pit left her and come out the other side with such control and grace when she fought was nothing short of incredible and Rip couldn’t help but smile as he thought of this. However, there was another, equally significant, part of him that was heartbroken for all that he had missed. He hadn’t had the chance to be a proper grandfather to her or Laurel. He could only hope that Sara would give him that chance now.

As if she had some sort of sixth sense, Sara appeared at that exact moment. Rip knew this was as good a time as any to ask for that relationship with her; for the chance to be a family. He hoped that Sara was willing to try with him to navigate this strange new dynamic.

“Hi.” She said somewhat hesitantly, hovering by the doorway and debating whether or not to come any closer. 

“Hi.” Rip replied. 

Silence.

“She left.” Sara stated. “Asked me to tell you she’d speak to you soon.”

“Thank you.”

There was a newfound awkwardness that hung in the air.

Sara was the first to try and speak up. “So you’re my…”

“Yes.” Rip confirmed.

It was as if neither knew how to be around the other anymore.

“This is ridiculous.” Sara finally said. “I’ve not had this much trouble making conversation with someone on a first date, let alone with you!”

“You’re right.” Rip agreed. “There’s no reason for this to be so difficult. Why don’t you come and sit down and we can try and find a way through this?”

Suddenly realising she was still standing in the doorway, Sara agreed to join Rip at the kitchen counter. As she walked over, she became acutely aware of how unsteady she felt on her feet and was beyond relieved when she made it to the chair without falling over.

“Where do we start?” Sara asked.

Rip thought for a minute. “Well, do you have any questions for me?” 

“Your wife and son who Savage killed…” She started.

“She was my second wife. Our son, Jonah, would have been your uncle.” Rip clarified, understanding what Sara was trying to ask. “My first wife, Amy, was your grandmother.”

“What happened to her?” She asked.

“We got sent back in time to a place where your mother and the Doctor couldn’t reach us. Let’s just say their medicine wasn’t a patch on what we have now. When she got sick there was nothing we could do.” Rip replied sadly. “You’re a lot like her, you know. Both very fiery and unbelievably brave. And both loyal to a fault.” 

“I wish I could have met her.”

“I wish so too.” Rip replied. “Although with the two of you in a room together I don’t think the rest of us would have stood a chance!” He laughed, starting to feel a little more at ease. He went on to try and explain to Sara the complicated relationships he held with both Amy and Dinah thanks to the challenges of time travel. As much as Sara tried to keep it straight in her head, she was finding it hard to keep up, even in spite of having a bit of a head start having heard some of the abridged versions of these stories from Dinah over the last few months. 

Neither knew how long they had been talking when they were interrupted by Mick, who had arrived back on the ship after clearly a few too many drinks at the bar.

“You two need to get out more.” He grunted as he reached for a beer from the fridge.

“I think you’ve had enough.” Rip warned.

“Rip’s right.” Sara agreed. “Maybe you should go and sleep it off.”

Mick rolled his eyes. “I already had one set of parents. I don’t need another.” He replied angrily, taking the beer with him as he left them alone once more.

The presence of another member of their team sparked a question in Sara that she hadn’t thought of until that moment. “Are we going to tell them?” She asked.

“I don’t know.” Rip said. “I guess that depends on if we decide to carry on as normal or not.”

“Is that what you want?” Sara asked, suddenly scared that Rip wouldn’t want any more than just being her captain. As her insecurities reared their ugly head, she realised that she wouldn’t have blamed him for not wanting anything to do with her. She was horrified at herself for the things she’d done and the people she’d killed and could only imagine how the rest of the world saw and judged her for it. 

“Of course not!” Rip replied. “I know this is a lot for both of us to take in but I want to be your grandfather. I just don’t want to pressure you into anything you’re not comfortable with.”

“You’re right, it is a lot. Maybe we could just take it slowly? I don’t want to start planning a big family reunion right now but maybe given time to get used to the idea we could ask my mom back to join us for a while? I sort of suggested it earlier and she said whenever we’re ready she’d want to take a trip with us both. If we get to that stage maybe then we can tell the team?”

“I’d be happy with that.” Rip agreed. “And I’ll try and keep the embarrassing proud grandad act to a minimum in public.” He joked.

“You’d better!” Sara teased back; glad she was starting to feel more comfortable around Rip again. “Or I’ll tell the team about the time you spent dressed as a Roman for 2000 years!”

“You wouldn’t!”

Sara gave a mischievous smile. “I think you know I would.” She laughed and Rip realised she was right. But, strangely, he found himself not minding in the slightest.


	4. Chapter 4

A few weeks after Dinah had dropped the bombshell on Rip and Sara that they were related, the Legends heard about the appearance of Cleopatra in England in the year 102 AD. Gideon had been conducting a routine check of the timeline when she had alerted the team to the aberration.

“Shall we plot a course, Captain?” Ray asked.

Rip hesitated. “I don’t think that’s necessary.” He replied, knowing full well it wasn’t the real Cleopatra, rather his daughter and some hallucinogenic lipstick.

“It is completely necessary.” Stein argued. “Cleopatra appearing in a different timeline in the height of the Roman’s invasion of Britain could have catastrophic consequences to the timeline.”

The captain ran a hand through his hair, exasperated. “It’s not Cleopatra.”

“Then who is it?” Stein asked.

“I can’t tell you. You just have to trust me on this.”

Gideon pitched in at this point, pulling up two paintings of different Cleopatras on the screen. “Captain, I must inform you that the aberration is in fact the real Cleopatra. From reports at the time it appears that there were two Cleopatras present at this point in history, meaning one is real and the other is likely to be your…”

Rip panicked, cutting the AI off mid-sentence. “Yes, thank you Gideon.”

Sara, who had just entered the bridge, caught sight of the painting and her eyes widened.

“Rip, is that…?” She started, before realising of two of her other teammates were in the room and quickly cutting herself off.

Rip grimaced. Of course, Sara would immediately recognise the painting of her mother. His mind was whirring at a hundred miles an hour trying to figure out exactly how to move forward. He knew that going back there himself was a bad idea. There was too much of a risk that he would meet his former self and mess with the timeline. Not to mention the dangers of Dinah seeing the team too early in her timeline. Or was it too early for her? At this point he really had no idea. 

Noticing the panic on Rip’s face, Sara spoke up. 

“Rip, can I borrow you for a minute?” She asked.

The relief was visible in his expression and the captain followed his granddaughter into the office where they could talk in private.

“Why is my mom dressed as Cleopatra in 102 AD?”

“You know I told you about the Pandorica? That was how your mother infiltrated the Roman army to make sure the Doctor got the message that it was opening.” Sara looked a little confused, but nodded along with his explanation nonetheless. “We can’t go back there. I can’t risk interacting with my own past and if she doesn’t know about this yet,” He said, gesturing between the two of them. “Then we could do untold damage. We could erase your existence completely!” 

Sara sighed. “I think we need to call her.” She admitted. “We need to find out what she knew back then before we risk sending the team in.”

Neither of them had spoken to Dinah since she left the Waverider that day. They were both still processing what had happened and trying to find a comfortable rhythm within the strange new dynamic they found themselves in. Not to mention that fact that they had been almost back-to-back on missions correcting one time disaster after the next, giving them very little time to talk and check in on how the other was adjusting.

“You’re right.” Rip agreed. Sara handed him her cell phone, which reminded Rip that he should ask Dinah to reconfigure his phone as well when he next saw her. Being able to call someone at any point throughout history and on any planet was definitely a bonus and he was only now remembering how useful it was since he could no longer use his phone in 1938. “Are you sure you’re ready for this?” He asked Sara as he noticed the look of uncertainty on her face.

“I don’t think we have a choice.”

“You do realise we might need her help in avoiding her former self, right? Neither of us can risk running into ourselves there and only she knows how to avoid herself.”

Sara grimaced. “We might need to fill the team in then.” She added.

“Fantastic.” Rip replied, his voice laced with sarcasm. “Do you want to round up the troupes then?” He asked. Sara agreed, grateful for the extra few minutes to prepare herself for what was about to happen.

Once Sara had gone, Rip called Dinah from her phone. 

Dinah picked up immediately. “Sara?” 

“Actually, no, it’s your dad.” Rip clarified. Unable to keep still, he found himself pacing around the room. “I’ve borrowed Sara’s phone. We have a bit of a situation and I need to check where we are in your timeline before we go barging in.”

“Go on.” Dinah prompted.

“Have you been to the Pandorica yet?”

“Yes.”

“How long ago was that for you? Did you know about Sara and me and the Waverider?” He asked.

Dinah thought for a moment. “That was a long time ago for me, Dad. Even before I went to Stormcage.”

“But you knew who I was?” He asked.

“I’ve always known who you were, I just had to pretend I didn’t. I remember seeing you as a plastic Centurion with all these new memories of your fake life being quite unnerving though.”

“I still remember some of that. Not all the time, I have to really focus, but it’s definitely still there.”

“The curse of being a time traveller.” Dinah mused. “We often remember these things we’d rather forget, or things we really should have forgotten. Time works differently for us.”

“And don’t I know it!” Rip replied. “This is definitely a conversation I never pictured myself having while going through nursing school.” He and Dinah shared a laugh at this and for a moment their relationship began to feel a bit more normal. The moment was short-lived, however, as reality hit Rip once again. “I also didn’t imagine I’d be time travelling with my granddaughter.”

“I really am sorry for not telling you about her.” Dinah said in a rare moment of sincerity.

“I know. You did what you had to do. I’ve been living this life long enough to know that time travel complicates even the seemingly simplest decisions.”

“How’s Sara doing?”

“Honestly, I think she’s going to need a bit more time.”

“I can understand that.” Dinah replied, although her eyes were beginning to fill with tears.

“She knows we need your help though, she’s willing to let you join us for this mission to make sure we stay out of your former self’s way.”

She was not likely to pass up the opportunity to see her daughter and try and make amends, and Rip knew all he had to do was ask. “Of course, I’ll come with you. I’ll be there in a minute.”

“We’ll plot a course now but we wanted a chance to brief the team first. I’ll call you back when we’ve landed.” He explained, knowing that Dinah’s vortex manipulator would get her there a lot faster but also anticipating the onslaught of questions from the Legends.

Rip hung up the phone and sunk into the chair behind him. When had his life become so complicated? After everything that had happened, he was, of course, still thrilled to see his daughter. He had loved travelling with her and the Doctor. She had an infections spirit and sense of rebellion that made him feel so alive. But, as much as he wanted to spend time with her, he wanted to protect Sara from any more pain and he knew she was not ready for this reunion. The young woman had been through so much in the last few years. He was protective of her from the start, even before he knew who she was. Sara had confided in him a few nights after Dinah was on the Waverider that she was still struggling with the idea that she had lied to her and Laurel their whole lives. As much as she loved being able to share her new reality with her mother, there was a bittersweet taste to it. Sara had shared that this had only got worse after finding out she had lied about her grandparents. She was so happy to get a chance to have a relationship with him, and she had never made him feel that this was not the case, but there was an edge to their once comfortable bond that neither she nor him could describe.

While he agreed with Sara’s suggestion to tell the team what was going on, Rip still worried about the effect that would have on their already fragile relationship. To him, it felt as if the team knowing was an added pressure for everything to go well. What if they couldn’t adjust to being grandfather and granddaughter? With all those extra eyes on him, how much harder would it be to let Sara down? He wanted to be there for her, but what if he couldn’t be?

Rip realised that he was spiralling and knew he needed to pull himself together for the sake of the mission. He took a deep breath and headed back to where his team were now waiting for him.

“Where are we off to, Captain?” Mick asked as Rip appeared from the office. 

“Wiltshire, England, 102 AD.” He replied. Pausing, he tried to figure out the best way to break the news to them. “Gideon found reports of two Cleopatras there.” 

“How can there be two Cleopatras?” Jax asked. 

“One of them is the real Cleopatra, the other is my daughter.” He started.

There was a chorus of “What?” and “I didn’t know you had a daughter!” and “How is that possible?” among various members of his team at this revelation. 

“It’s a very long story but I’ll try and tell you what I can. Before I joined the Time Masters I travelled with my first wife, Amy, and our friend in his time machine, the TARDIS. We happened to be travelling through the time vortex on our wedding night and.. well…” Rip blushed, the awkward and reserved British nature he tried to suppress coming fully to the surface.

“You got lucky and ended up with a kid.” Mick helpfully finished for him.

“Exactly.” Rip said, somewhat relieved that his teammate’s crude nature meant he didn’t have to spell it out for everyone. “Being conceived in the time vortex meant she had special abilities. She could regenerate, meaning that when she died her body could repair itself. Each time it happened she would take on a new body.”

“Fascinating.” Stein commented.

“I’m telling you this because when we meet her, she looks a fair bit older than me. This is her last new body though. She gave up the rest of her regeneration energy saving a friend so now she has to be as careful as the rest of us.”

It was Ray’s turn to chip in now. “Surely we shouldn’t be interacting with her in the past though?”

“We’re not going to, hopefully. We need to steer clear of her as Cleopatra but she’s a time traveller as well so the present-day version of her is meeting us in 102 AD.” Rip was almost surprised to see his team nodding in understanding. There were days when he couldn’t keep the timelines straight in his head himself, let alone expect his team to pick it up as well. “I should also say that I was there as well so we need to try and avoid the past version of me dressed as a Roman soldier.”

“You got to fight in a Roman army?” Ray asked. “That’s so cool!”

“So, basically we have to find the real Cleopatra and take her back to Ancient Egypt whilst avoiding being seen by past versions of you and your daughter?” Jax tried to clarify.

“Precisely.” Rip said, although there was a moment of hesitation in his response which Professor Stein instantly picked up on.

“Is there anything else we need to know?” He asked.

Rip glanced over to Sara in a silent ask for her permission, giving her a final chance to change her mind. Sara swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat and nodded. The risk of their mission going wrong and never being born was weighing heavily on Sara’s mind, outweighing her discomfort of the team knowing their secret. 

“Well, there is one more thing that I should tell you before we meet my daughter. River, or Dinah as she goes by now, is Sara’s mom.”


	5. Chapter 5

It was at that opportune moment that the Waverider jolted ever so slightly, landing as smoothly as it could on the ground in 102 AD. 

“She’s Sara’s mom?” Ray asked. “But that means Sara’s your…”

“Granddaughter, yes.” Rip finished for him. 

All eyes were suddenly on Sara and the weight of them was quickly becoming unbearable. 

“Sara, I had no idea.” Jax started, breaking the silence. “How long have you known?”

Sara looked to Rip, not yet trusting herself to talk. “A few weeks.” He responded.

“Presumably you don’t have these regeneration powers though?” Stein asked. 

Sara shook her head. “I mean, I died… so…” She said, slowly finding her voice.

There was an awkward silence. No one ever knew how to react when the topic of Sara’s death arose. More often than not everyone tried to avoid the subject, for which Sara was immensely grateful. It was definitely not something she wanted to be reminded of on a regular basis.

The silence was broken by Mick, who had sensed they weren’t going to get anywhere with this conversation any time soon. “Let’s go roast some Romans.” He said, impatiently. 

“Quite right, Mr Rory.” Rip agreed. “There’s plenty of time for questions later. Although, might I suggest we postpone the roasting part? Perhaps I should have mentioned but the Romans are living plastic.”

“No fun.” Mick pouted. 

“I’m sorry, living plastic?” Stein asked.

“Yes, they were created from my wife’s memories but they believe they’re real. I don’t really have time to explain right now.”

Ray chipped in. “But surely if they aren’t real people, they can’t have any effect on the timeline?”

“In theory, no. But now probably isn’t the time to risk it, especially with past versions of my daughter and me out there. So please, Mr Rory, try and keep your pyromania in check until we know the timeline is safe.”

“I can’t make any promises.” He smirked.

“Right, let me call Dinah to meet us and we can come up with a plan of how to get the real Cleopatra back to Egypt.”

While Rip was on the phone, the rest of the Legends headed to the fabrication room to put on some more appropriate clothing and get ready to leave the ship. Before long they were waiting on the grass when a woman, who they presumed to be Dinah, walked up to them.

“Dad! Sara!” She exclaimed, heading straight to her family. Rip embraced her instantly, overjoyed to be spending time with his daughter again, while Sara stepped back, still hesitant. This gesture did not go unnoticed by Jax, who made a mental note to pull her aside and talk to her later. “And who do we have here?” She asked, looking to the team and trying her best to ignore the fact that Sara had rejected her advance and focus on the mission. There was no time to get upset, she told herself. 

Rip introduced each member of the team in turn. “This is Ray Palmer, the Atom. Jax and Professor Stein form Firestorm. And this is Mick Rory, who pretty much just likes to set everything on fire.”

“And I’m a damn good thief.” Mick added.

Dinah smiled. “That’ll come in handy.” She laughed. “Right, first things first then. How does this timeline even exist?” She asked Rip.

“I have no idea. I still remember it happening but I also remember you saying it would never have happened when the Doctor restarted the universe.”

The rest of the Legends looked dumbfounded but knew better than to interrupt. 

“Did Amy bring all this back as well?” Rip asked.

“She might have done. As the Doctor said, she grew up with all of space and time being fed into her mind through the crack in her wall. I suppose that must include this timeline.”

“So, what’s the plan?” Mick interrupted.

“We need to find out where the real Cleopatra is.” Ray suggested. 

“And how she got here.” Stein added. “For all we know there’s another rogue time traveller on the loose who brought her to this time.”

“Ok we’ll start with reconnaissance only. Find out what we can about Cleopatra’s whereabouts and most importantly try to blend in.” Rip ordered. “The last thing we need is to draw any attention to ourselves it’s dangerous enough that we are in this time period as it is.”

Sara pitched in at this point. “I say we split up, some of us go with Rip and the rest go with Dinah.” 

Dinah flinched a little as Sara called her by her first name.

“Good idea.” Rip agreed. Having noticed Sara’s coldness towards Dinah and seeing clearly on his daughter’s face how much it hurt her, he decided to do what he could to give them the time to make up. “Sara, Ray, and Mick you go with Dinah. Jax and Stein you’re with me. We will take the campsite and the rest of you can cover the commander’s tent and Stonehenge where you’ll most likely need Dinah’s help avoiding her past self.”

Sara was sure her face closely resembled the look of a rabbit in the headlights. How could Rip put her in this position? He knew that she wanted to be as far away from her mother as possible right now. She definitely wasn’t ready to forgive her, and even working with her was pushing her limits. Glancing over at her mother, she found Dinah looking right back at her with so much love and hope in her eyes. Sara knew she couldn’t say no. She had to try her best to make this work.

Rip, Jefferson, and Professor Stein all left to search the campsite, leaving the rest of the team and Dinah to decide on their next steps.

“So, where do we start?” Ray asked, sensing that it was probably best to get straight in to planning and not leave time for awkward small-talk. He caught Sara’s eye and she mouthed a silent ‘thank you’ to him.

“We need to find out where past me is, then hopefully we can scope out the other site until she, or rather I, move. I’d suggest Mick, you go and check the commander’s tent to see if I’m still there. We’ll wait here until we know if it’s clear.”

“I’ll go with him.” Sara volunteered, hopefully. “Keep him out of trouble.”

“No need, Blondie. I’ll be on my best behaviour.” Mick replied as he walked off, slinging his heat gun over his shoulder. 

Dinah looked to Ray. “Could you give us a minute?” She asked him. Out of her line of sight, Sara was shaking her head frantically, trying to convince him to stay. He shot her an apologetic look before nodding to Dinah.

“I’ll be back on the Waverider if you need me.” He said.

“Sara, it’s so good to see you and finally be able to talk.” Dinah gushed after Ray was out of earshot. 

“Can we not do this now?” Sara replied.

“But Sara, sweetie, we have to talk about it eventually.”

“Do we? I’m sorry but you lied to me and Laurel about everything our whole lives. You don’t just get to show up again after a few weeks and expect things to be back to normal.”

“You didn’t have a problem with it when I told you I was a time traveller.” Dinah argued.

“But it’s so much more than that, don’t you get it?” She said, starting to raise her voice. “I know why you lied about the time travel. I’ve done the same thing. We had to, there’s no way I can be angry with you for that. In fact, it was so nice to be able to finally share that part of my life with you. But you didn’t just lie about being a time traveller – you lied about everything. You lied about being part Time Lord. About who your parents, my grandparents, were. You told us they were dead! And Rip, you lied to him too! You never even told him you had grandchildren and, worse, you hid from him for thirty years! Your own father! I just don’t know how anyone could be so heartless!” 

By now Sara was yelling as she finally began to let out all of the pent-up anger that had been brewing since she found out. She hadn’t shown Rip the full extent of how hurt she felt, knowing that he felt guilty about how happy he was to have his daughter back in his life in spite of all the pain their reunion still brought. She felt like she had been keeping these feelings bottled up for too long and now she had pulled out the stopper and was experiencing them overflowing from her body. The force of it all sent her to her knees as she began to cry. Her strong, muscular frame suddenly looked so small as it shook with her sobs. 

Dinah was torn between going over and comforting her daughter and giving her the space that she was so clearly asking for. She hesitated for a few moments; rocking slightly as she transferred her weight from one foot to the other. In the end her motherly instinct won out and she crouched down beside Sara. The younger woman tensed for a moment as Dinah wrapped her arms around her before she relaxed into her embrace. 

“Sara, I need you to understand that I never meant to hurt you or Rip.” Dinah said softly once Sara’s tears began to subside. “That’s the last thing I ever wanted to do.”

“Then why did you do it?” Sara asked, wiping her eyes and scooting herself back a little to be able to look her mother in the eye.

Dinah thought for a moment. This was a question she’d been asking herself every day since she saw Sara last and, if she was honest with herself, she was not entirely comfortable with the answer she came to.

“I was trying to protect myself from being hurt again. It was selfish and completely unfair on everyone else but I needed to do it. It was my way of keeping going after I lost my parents the first time. I’ve never been good at losing people, although you’d think, by now, I’d have had enough practice.” She joked darkly, a tear coming to her eye as she said it. “And then the longer it went on the harder it was to come clean. I thought telling you I was a time traveller was a good first step, and somehow I hoped that would be good enough for now.”

Sara pulled away. “It’s not.” She said, angrily. “It’s not good enough that you lied to everyone and only told the truth that was convenient for you.”

“I know, or at least I know that now. Maybe I didn’t back then. But seeing how much I’ve hurt you has made me realise it was wrong of me to keep this from you. Sara, I’m so sorry.”

Sara didn’t know what to say to that. She still couldn’t forgive Dinah but she didn’t want to stay upset with her either. A part of her felt lighter. She had been able to tell her exactly what had been playing on her mind and Dinah had opened up about her feelings as well. Their relationship wasn’t back to normal yet. It couldn’t be. Too much had happened to be fixed in one short conversation. But Sara could see the day when she forgave her mother moving slightly closer. 

Luckily, she was spared from replying as Mick returned. 

“She’s… ummm… you’re in the tent.” He said to Dinah.

Dinah quickly got up and brushed the creases out of her clothes. “Right, no time to lose then. We need to get to Stonehenge. Can you grab Ray from the ship?” She asked Mick. All she got was a grunt in reply but she assumed it was one of agreement as he headed towards the Waverider and started banging on the door.

“Come on, Haircut! Time to move!” He shouted. 

Dinah turned to Sara. “Can we talk more later?” Sara nodded, eliciting a cautious smile from Dinah.

“So, what’s the deal with Stonehenge?” Sara asked once Ray and Mick had re-emerged.

“Isn’t it just a bunch of big rocks?” Mick replied.

“It marks the spot where the Pandorica is buried.” Dinah explained. “It’s basically a prison that was made to trap a friend of mine who had a lot of enemies.” 

“We should check that out as well then. We don’t know where Cleopatra could be.” Ray suggested.

“We’ll have to be quick; it probably won’t be long until I leave the campsite. We’ll use the vortex manipulator. It’ll get us there faster. Hold on.” She instructed. The three legends held hands while Dinah programmed the co-ordinates into the device on her wrist. She grabbed Sara’s free hand and before they knew it the four time travellers were in the middle of Stonehenge. 

“Wow!” Ray exclaimed. “This is incredible!”

“How do we get underneath?” Sara asked.

“If I remember correctly, this one moves.” Dinah replied, pointing to one of the giant stones. She fished through her pockets and brought out a small device. “There’s a staircase underneath.” She explained, attaching the device to the stone and hitting a button. The device and the stone both rose six feet into the air. 

“How did you do that?” Ray asked.

“Localised anti-gravity field.” Dinah replied. “I knew what we were facing this time around so I came prepared. It’s programmed to last an hour, which should be plenty of time.”

Dinah led the Legends down to the stairs and through a set of large wooden doors to reach the Pandorica. To her surprise it was already open and in the dim light she could just about make out a figure inside. They appeared to be unconscious. Their head was hanging down and they weren’t moving. It looked as if they had been strapped in to the box to prevent them from escaping.

“Hello?” Ray called out, approaching the figure. He stopped in his tracks when he realised who it was. “It’s Cleopatra!”

The sound of his voice was enough to wake the sleeping woman. She quickly seemed to realise that she was trapped and started to struggle against the restraints. “What have you done to me? Get me out of here!”

Sara rushed to help her. “Hey, hey, it’s ok. It’s going to be ok. We’re here to help you.” She tried to reassure her as she fumbled around to try and find a way to break her out of her restraints. 

Dinah soon joined them, pointing the same device Sara recognised from when she’d reprogrammed her phone at the restraints. The metal cuffs pinged open, freeing Cleopatra’s arms. This seemed to be enough to calm her down a bit and convince her that these strangers were not here to hurt her. 

“Who are you people?” She asked.

“We’re friends. We just want to help you get back home.” Sara explained.

“Come on, let’s get out of here.” Mick said. 

They began to make their way back to the staircase when they heard a loud bang coming from above them. What little light that had been provided from the gap where the stone was moved suddenly went out and they were left in darkness.


	6. Chapter 6

“What just happened?” Ray asked, straining his eyes to try and see his comrades. 

“The stone fell.” Rory replied. “I thought you were meant to be the smart one?”

“Someone must have tampered with the device.” Dinah added. She started trying to reconfigure the vortex manipulator to take them back to the ship but the device didn’t seem to be responding. “Whatever they’ve done is messing with my vortex manipulator as well.”

Sara took a deep breath. She noticed herself beginning to feel more in her element. Screw ups on Legends’ missions she could handle. Family drama she could not. 

“Ray, try and get hold of the team over comms. Let them know what’s going on and that we might need their help. I’m going to try and find a way out. They must have built in a failsafe or something.” She said as she found her way to the bottom of the stairs from memory, only having to reach out once for a wall to get her bearings. 

“Sara, be careful! You could trip!” Dinah worried.

“Mom, I’m fine. I trained for weeks in a blindfold with the League of Assassins. I think I can make it up a flight of stairs.” 

Sara felt around for a secret button or lever or anything that could move the stone and let them out. She could hear Ray talking to the team behind her and tried her hardest to tune him out and focus on what she could feel. Her hand touched something cold, possibly metal. She felt around a little more and guessed that it was probably part of the contraption that whoever build the passage to get underground had used. Now, if she could just figure out how to make it work…

“Find anything, Blondie?” Her thoughts were interrupted by Mick calling out to her.

“Hard to tell.” She replied. “There’s something different here. I think maybe it’s made of metal but I can’t work out what it is.”

“I’m afraid I’ve got bad news from the rest of the team. They’ve run into a bit of trouble with the Romans. Apparently, the younger Rip ‘forgot’ to pay up after a bet and they don’t seem like they are going to let it go.” Ray said.

“So, we’re stuck here?” Mick asked.

“For now, yes.” Ray clarified. “They said they’d come and rescue us as soon as they could but I get the feeling angry Romans aren’t known for their patience.”

“Some rescue team you are!” Cleopatra shrieked. 

“How long do we have until the younger you gets here?” Sara asked her mother.

“Not long, but I don’t think we came down straight away. We waited until nightfall. I’m more worried about one of us picking up the tech we have down here on a scan.” Dinah replied.

“Are you saying we need to go dark?” Ray said. “Pardon the ill-timed pun.”

“I think you should warn the team that we might need to, yes. I don’t think we’ll have long until they get here.” Dinah suggested. Ray agreed and quickly updated the rest of the team.

“I wonder, mom, do you think the thing you used to break Cleopatra out of the Pandorica could work on whatever this is up here?” Sara asked, still at the top of the staircase.

“It’s worth a try if we’re quick. But this is alien tech, it will definitely show up on a scan. We’ll need to turn it off before they get here.”

“Got it. How good is your aim? Can you throw it up to me?” 

“Do you really think you can catch it if you can’t see it?” Dinah asked, sceptically.

“I’m sure I can. I’m more worried about figuring out how to make it work.”

“That’s the easy bit. Just point and think, the screwdriver will do the rest for you.” She explained. “Are you ready?”

“Yep.” Sara replied. Dinah threw the device in her direction and she caught it effortlessly. “Thanks. So, point and think?” She clarified. The end of the device lit up and she pointed it towards the piece of metal she’d found. 

“What kind of screwdriver is it?” Ray asked while Sara was busy.

“Sonic.” Dinah replied, the smirk almost audible in her voice. “A little anniversary gift from my first husband.”

“Incredible. How does it work?” He asked.

“Guys, I hate to interrupt but I’m really not having much luck up here.” Sara called down. She turned off the device and heard voices from above them. The darkness had heightened her other senses, allowing her to tune in to her hearing more than she might normally have been able to. “Shit!” She said, realising that the younger Dinah must have arrived at Stonehenge. She rushed down the stairs as fast as she was comfortable to. “They’re here! Mom, where are you?”

“Right here.” Dinah responded.

Sara immediately located where her voice was coming from and shoved the sonic screwdriver into her hand. Dinah expertly turned the device off in no time while the Legends shut off their comms. 

They waited in silence for a while, scared to make a noise in case someone above them heard it. 

Meanwhile, Rip, Jax, and Stein had managed to evade the Romans and made their way to Stonehenge. They stopped short of the ancient structure as they noticed three figures standing there. 

“Bollocks!” Rip cursed. “They must have beaten us. We can’t do anything while they’re here.”

“Ray said that Dinah remembers leaving and coming back, we might just need to wait it out.” Stein reasoned.

“Or…” Jax interrupted. “Or we could distract them as Firestorm?”

“I really don’t think that’s the best idea, Jax. They aren’t the sort to let a flying man on fire go. They’ll want answers.” Rip said.

“And we’ll be out of this time period long before they can get them.” Jax argued. “I’m just saying surely it’s best to get the team out of there as soon as possible so they don’t risk being discovered? Sure, they turned off their tech but what if this Doctor can pick up life forms or something?”

Rip ran a hand through his hair and Professor Stein looked as if he was weighing up their options. 

“Ok.” Rip agreed. “But be careful. Don’t let any of them see your face and draw them away while I go and try to find a way to free the rest of the team.”

Jax smiled triumphantly and held out his hand to Stein, who rolled his eyes and reluctantly agreed to merge with him.

_“Right, Jefferson. Remember what Rip said. Be careful!”_ He said from inside Jax’s head.

“I know, Grey!”

_“I’m just saying, this really doesn’t feel like the safest option.”_

“It’s better than risking erasing Rip and Sara from existence!” He said as he flew above Stonehenge. The ginger-haired woman was the first to spot them.

“Doctor!” She called out. The man looked up at the sky to see Firestorm turning to fly away. 

“Oh, that’s new!” He said. “Let’s go after them!” He said, breaking into a run.

The younger version of Dinah quickly followed suit, clearly just as intrigued by the burning man flying overhead. Jax looked back to check that they were being followed in time to see the ginger-haired woman appear to sigh and shrug her shoulders before taking off in a sprint to catch up with her companions.

“Damn.” Jax smirked as he properly took in the sight of the younger woman.

_“Need I remind you that’s Rip’s first wife and Sara’s grandmother that you’re lusting over?”_ Stein reprimanded him in his ear.

“Man, can’t I have a moments peace?” Jax asked. He heard Stein laughing in his head at that.

Once he was sure that they were far enough away from Stonehenge he started to descend slightly from the sky. He wanted to be sure that they carried on trying to follow him so had to make it look as if he was landing somewhere. Knowing it would take them a while to catch up, he and Stein separated. 

“Right, how do we get back to Rip without drawing attention to ourselves?” Jax wondered aloud.

“I suggest we circle around behind them separately and re-merge to fly back once we’re out of sight.”

Jax agreed. “Alright, Grey. I’ll race you!”

“That seems extremely unfair, you have about a 50-year advantage on me!” Stein complained.

“Then you’d better not waste time complaining!” Jax teased him as he started running away from the spot where they landed.

It wasn’t long before he found Stein, some way further back from him and holding his side with a stitch, but nonetheless safely away from the eyes of the Doctor and his friends. The pair merged once again and in no time at all they were back at Stonehenge where Rip was feeling around one of the rocks in the middle. 

“Ah you’re back, great.” Rip smiled. “If I remember correctly, this one moves to reveal the passage underneath. The problem is I can’t for the life of me figure out how to move it and I have no idea how Dinah did it in the first place.” He explained.

“We could always transmute it?” Jax suggested.

_“And risk changing an ancient monument? Jefferson please be serious.”_ Stein said from inside his head. Rip also looked unsure. 

“Lighten up Grey! Besides, I’m in the driver’s seat. And can either of you think of another option?”

Rip shook his head and Jax could hear Stein mumbling his reluctant agreement in his ear. Jax moved towards the stone and placed both hands on it, concentrating all his energy on transmuting the large stone before him. It took him a few minutes but soon the stone combusted, leaving only dust with fell delicately onto the stairs below.

“Did someone call for a rescue?” Rip shouted down as Jax and Stein separated again. 

Sara was the first to appear. “Thanks.” She said as she climbed out and back onto the grass. They were quickly joined by the rest of the team and Cleopatra, who were muttering a chorus of ‘Thank you’ as their eyes adjusted to the bright sunlight.

“Oh good, the real Cleopatra!” Rip exclaimed, shooting a joking look to his daughter who tried to stifle a laugh. “Let’s get you back to Egypt, shall we?” 

“Please do. I’ve seen more than enough of wherever this is to know I don’t want to spend a minute longer here.” Cleopatra replied.

“Back to the ship then?” Ray asked.

“Wait, there’s one thing I don’t understand.” Dinah said. “What happened to my anti-gravity device and vortex manipulator?”

Rip thought for a moment. “There was nothing here before Firestorm transmuted the stone.”

“Perhaps the time traveller stole it?” Mick suggested.

“And the vortex manipulator?” Dinah questioned.

“Is it working now?” Ray asked.

Dinah attempted to programme the vortex manipulator to send her back home but it remained unresponsive. “Nothing.” She confirmed. “Might have to catch a lift back with you, dad.” 

“Of course. Let’s all head back to the Waverider.” 

The group set off towards the ship, naturally falling into smaller groups to talk along the way. Dinah tried her hardest to catch Sara’s eye so that they could continue their conversation from earlier but Jax already seemed to have her engaged in conversation. Realising it was probably best to give her a bit more space, she caught up with Rip, who was leading the group.

Sara saw her mother walking off and breathed a small sigh of relief. “Thank you.” She said to Jax, who had made a conscious effort to pull Sara aside and give her an excuse not to talk to Dinah after what he observed between them earlier. She was incredibly grateful for the break from her mother’s sad and pleading looks. Jax was like the brother she never had and she trusted him probably above anyone else to have her back.

“Any time.” Jax smiled. “So, what’s going on between you too? You seemed less than pleased to see her earlier.”

“She lied to us, Jax. My whole life she’s been lying to me about my grandparents and she never even told Rip that we existed.”

“Man, that’s a lot to deal with. How are you doing with it?”

Sara thought for a moment. “I’m pissed off and I’m hurt.” She admitted. “I don’t know how to forgive her.”

“Did she try and explain why she did it?”

“She did, and I guess I do understand. Sort of.” 

“I’m sensing a ‘but’ there?” Jax questioned.

“But it doesn’t make up for what she did.”

“For what it’s worth…” Jax started. Sara had the feeling she wasn’t going to like where Jax was heading with this but she trusted him to tell the truth as he saw it. She supposed that’s what helped to make them so close. “If I had the chance to spend more time with my dad, no matter what he’d done, I think I’d take it. She’s clearly trying to rebuild a relationship with you. I think you’ll regret it if you don’t at least start letting her back in to your life.”

Sara thought about what he said for a minute and then sighed. “Maybe you’re right.” She said. “But I can’t just forget what she did.”

“You don’t have to. It’s still going to hurt but you can try and give her a chance to show you what she means to you and how sorry she is. Maybe then over time it’ll get easier.” He reasoned. “I also think the longer you leave it the harder it will be for both of you.”

They walked in silence for a while, Jax giving Sara the space to think over what he had said. As the Waverider appeared on the horizon she reached out and squeezed his hand. “Thank you.” She said.

“For what?”

“For telling me what I needed to hear. I’ll try and talk to her when we get back to the ship.”

Jax smiled and squeezed Sara’s hand back before he released it. They spent the rest of the walk filling each other in on their respective teams’ adventures from the last couple of hours. Sara learned that Rip was no better at cards now than he was all these years ago and the pair made a mental note to challenge him to a game next time they were short on cash or just wanted a laugh at his expense. 

The Legends, Dinah, and Cleopatra arrived at the Waverider as the sun was beginning to set, casting a warm glow over the fields behind them. Ray was nominated to take the jump ship to Ancient Egypt and return Cleopatra to her rightful place in the timeline. Meanwhile the rest of the Legends got changed into more comfortable clothing and met in the bridge for a post-mission debrief.

“How’s the timeline, Gideon?” Rip asked as the last members of his team arrived.

“It appears Mr Palmer has successfully returned Cleopatra and is heading back to the Waverider as we speak. Your interference in England also had no lasting damage, except for the fact that the missing stone of Stonehenge now means that tourists can pay to explore the tunnel underneath the monument.” Gideon explained.

“Of all the things we’ve screwed up before, at least this one isn’t too major.” Stein said.

“That’s what I’m talking about, Grey!” Jax teased him. “I’m calling this mission a win. Who wants a drink?” He asked. He was met with a round of agreement from the team and they headed to the kitchen to find something to celebrate their success.


	7. Chapter 7

“Who knew the captain could have such a cool daughter?” Mick grunted as Dinah finished telling another story about one of her many escapes from prison.

“She definitely doesn’t shy away from danger.” Rip commented, his voice a mixture of parental worry and an admiration that was new to Dinah since they reunited. There was something about the responsibility of being captain of a time ship that made Rip almost envious of the freedom Dinah had.

“Where would be the fun in that, dad?” Dinah laughed.

“It’s reassuring to know that every time traveller seems to have broken time at some point or another.” Stein observed, thinking over Dinah’s recount of trying to avoid killing the Doctor.

Sara was feeling increasingly like she needed to get out of there. Her tolerance for all kinds of uncomfortable environments had been built up through her League training but none of that prepared her for how claustrophobic she was beginning to feel. She noticed her heart racing and her breathing becoming shallow and laboured. 

She knew that her fight or flight instinct had always been on something of a short fuse, and ever more so as her life became more and more dangerous. Right now, all she could think about was her need to get away. She had to leave. Now. She couldn’t stay here. It was too loud, too overwhelming. The walls were closing in on her. Taking a deep breath, Sara found herself starting to feel dizzy. 

Time to get away. Peace and quiet. That’s what she needed.

While the rest of the Legends seemed to be fawning over her mother, Sara was able to sneak out undetected. She wandered the corridors until she reached her bedroom, where she sat on the edge of her bed and gently swung her legs back and forth as she tried to take her mind off what was happening a few rooms away. The gentle rhythm was soothing and it helped her gradually slow her breathing back down to a more normal rate.

Sara did not know how long it had been when a disembodied voice snapped her out of her thoughts.

“Is everything alright, Miss Lance?” Gideon asked.

“Not really, Gideon.” Sara admitted. 

“Does this have something to do with your mother being on board the ship?” The artificial intelligence prompted. Sara nodded. “Might I suggest you talk to her?”

“Jax said the same thing but it’s not that easy. What more can I even say? I’ve told her exactly what I think. There’s nothing more to it. She can’t take back what she did. She can’t change the past. Or, rather, she can but…”

“But that would be ill-advisable.” Gideon finished for her. 

“Exactly.” She paused. “I need a drink.”

“Right away, Miss Lance. You might want to collect it from the fabrication room so as to avoid your mother in the kitchen, as you said you don’t want to talk to her?”

“You always have my back, Gideon.”

“It’s what I’m programmed to do.” Gideon replied, but Sara could sense a hint of a joke in her voice. At least she could rely on the ship’s AI to be her friend when the rest of her friends seemed to be taking her mother’s side.

Sara took a quick trip to the fabrication room where she had Gideon make her a bottle of her favourite scotch and a glass to take back to her room. Luckily, she didn’t bump in to anyone on her way back and she breathed a sigh of relief when reached the safety of her bedroom and closed the door behind herself. She poured herself a shot and even before the scotch had settled in the glass, she tipped her head back and threw the warming liquid down her throat. She relished in the familiar burning feeling and the knowledge that it would take her pain away.

Meanwhile, in the kitchen, the Legends had noticed that Sara had disappeared.

Dinah sighed. “It’s me she’s upset with, I’ll go find her.” She said to the group.

“Good luck.” Mick offered, having been on the receiving end of Sara’s anger many times.

“Thank you.” Dinah replied. She was fairly certain that Sara would be in her bedroom and, luckily, that was one of the few places she could find her way to from the kitchen on this ship. Being on an unfamiliar ship made her miss the relative ease of travelling on the TARDIS. She shared a connection with that ship unlike anyone else, even unlike the Doctor, and knew she could always find whatever or wherever she needed at any time.

Back in Sara’s room, Gideon was making Sara aware of her incoming visitor.

“Miss Lance, I should probably inform you that your mother is on her way here to see you.”

“Lock the door.” Sara commanded.

“My apologies if I am overstepping, but, while you say you have said all you need to, it appears that perhaps your mother hasn’t.”

“I don’t want to hear what she has to say, Gideon.” Sara reiterated. “Please lock the door.”

“As you wish, Miss Lance.” Gideon said.

Dinah reached Sara’s room and knocked on the door. “Sara, are you in there?” Sara stayed quiet. 

“Ms Lance, Sara is in her bedroom and she asked me to lock her door.” Gideon informed her from the corridor.

“Right.” Dinah sighed. “Thank you, Gideon. And I’m sorry.” She said as she pulled out her sonic screwdriver and quickly unlocked the door.

Sara looked up as she heard the door opening. “How did you…?”

“Gideon told me you were here.” 

“Gideon, you snitch!” Sara grumbled.

“As I told you before, Miss Lance, I am programmed to help you.”

Taking another shot, Sara muttered. “It doesn’t feel much like helping.”

“Don’t blame Gideon, I let myself in.” Dinah stepped in, indicating to her sonic screwdriver before placing it back in her pocket.

“Really, then you can let yourself out again.” Sara shot back.

“I get that this is hard for you Sara, really I do. But you can’t stay mad at me forever.” Sara didn’t respond. Dinah sighed, and motioned to the bottle of scotch. “May I?” She asked.

Sara handed her the glass and Dinah took a shot of Dutch courage for herself.

“When I found out you were travelling with your grandfather I panicked. I knew this day would happen eventually but I just couldn’t face it. I ran away. I quit my job at Central City University and travelled back to the future to get my old job in the archaeology department back. I thought by staying away from you both I could keep my secret and no one needed to get hurt.” Dinah tried to explain. “It didn’t exactly work out the way I’d planned, did it?” She joked dryly. “It was self-preservation but I also knew how painful it would be to find out I’d lied to you both and I couldn’t be the cause of that pain.

Sara sat in quiet contemplation as she tried to take in what her mother had said. The similarities with when she came back from the dead weren’t lost on her.

“So, you were trying to protect us?” She asked.

“I know I didn’t do a great job of it, but yes.”

After a while, Sara spoke up again. “I can understand that. The first time I came back to Star City after joining the League of Assassins it took me so long to reach out to Dad because all I could think of was how hurt he would be if he found out what I’d become. I thought he’d be disappointed to see his little girl had turned into an assassin. In reality he was just so worried about me being in danger. He accepted every part of me.”

“Your father has always been the best man I’ve ever known.” Dinah said, fondly. She could see Sara starting to relax and was happy that they seemed to have found some common ground to talk more comfortably about. That, and the alcohol was probably helping a bit too.

“I wish I could be more like him.”

“Rather than taking after me, you mean?”

“No, I didn’t mean it like that!” Sara protested.

“It’s true though. Clearly there’s a lot of me in you. That fierceness and stubbornness is all me. And your sense for adventure, I’m afraid I’m to blame for that too. But all your best qualities: your kind heart, your loyalty, your need to protect people; that all comes from your dad.”

“Have you told him about you?” Sara asked.

Dinah hesitated. “I don’t know how to.” She finally admitted. “I’ve been lying for our whole relationship. I’ve always known if I ever did tell him it wouldn’t be easy but seeing the pain it has caused you; I don’t know if I could do that to him.”

“The longer you leave it, the harder it will be.” 

“Does he know what you’re doing now?” Dinah asked. Sara nodded. “How did he react?”

“How do you think?” Sara laughed a little. “He was incredibly over-protective! But he also could see it was something I had to do for myself. He knew how badly I wanted to make up for the damage I’d caused from my bloodlust and from being in the League.”

Sara’s bloodlust was one topic they hadn’t really spoken about. If she was honest, Sara didn’t like having to talk about it with anyone. It was the part of her that she was most ashamed of. It made her feel like a monster. With the League she was trained to kill and, for the most part, every kill was executed with precision. Her bloodlust was different; it came from within. She was not trained to develop it, nor was she trained in how to manage it. It was a force that she couldn’t control, and more often than not she felt like it was controlling her instead.

Sensing that Sara was becoming uncomfortable, Dinah tried to change the subject.

“Do you think you could help me tell him?” She asked. “Maybe not right away, but soon.”

Sara took a minute to think about her mother’s suggestion. She wasn’t sure she wanted to get in the middle of this with them. Laurel was always much better at keeping the peace while Sara believed she was more often the cause of their arguments. But there was a part of her that still longed for them to be a family again and she knew the only way that could happen now, after all they’d been through, was for all the secrets to come out into the open.

“I can do that.” Sara eventually agreed.

The conversation hit a lull and Dinah was contemplating something she had been wanting to ask Sara since they got back to the Waverider. She poured herself another drink and decided it was time to bit the bullet.

“You know, I don’t have anything pressing to get back to.” She started. “How would you feel if I stuck around for a couple of days?”

Jax’s words echoed in Sara’s mind as she considered her mother’s suggestion. Maybe she should try and take every opportunity to spend time with her. Life was short – she knew that probably better than most. 

“Ok.” She decided. “I doubt Rip will mind. You can take Kendra’s old room.”

Dinah gushed. “Oh, thank you Sara. You have no idea how much this means to me!” She said, leaning over to give her daughter a hug. Sara tensed momentarily before relaxing slightly. She really had missed her mother’s hugs. For the first time since she’d found out Dinah’s secret, she was starting to feel hopeful that they could begin to act like mother and daughter once more.

Sara showed Dinah to the fabrication room where Gideon helped make her some more comfortable clothes to sleep in and various toiletries that she would need for an overnight stay. Sara laughed at her mother’s high maintenance requests for hair products as she was letting her natural curly hair loose.

“You’re only staying a couple of nights, use mine!” Sara insisted.

“With all those silicones and sulphates. No, thank you!” Dinah laughed back. The ease of their banter was putting Sara in a much better mood. While they had started to talk honestly earlier, it was definitely forced. Every response had been carefully thought out and planned. Talking about something as neutral as hair products allowed them to feel more like mother and daughter once again.

Sara decided to leave Dinah to it and go and inform Rip that they were having an unexpected guest on the ship for the next few days. Unsurprisingly, he was thrilled that his daughter would be joining them, and even more happy that it seemed she and Sara were starting to make up. Having Dinah back in his life had been incredible, but the pain Sara was in meant that their reunion had left a bittersweet taste in his mouth. He hoped that now he could finally start to enjoy having his family together on the ship.

After what had been a long day, the Legends and Dinah were all feeling drained and decided to head to their respective bedrooms and get some sleep. For the first time in a while, Sara fell asleep the second her head hit the pillow and she slept soundly throughout the night. Dinah, on the other hand, felt much too excited at the prospect of having Sara and her father back in her life that she was tossing and turning all night trying to get comfortable and willing her brain to switch off.


	8. Chapter 8

The next morning, after barely three hours sleep in total, Dinah made her way to the kitchen and brewed herself a pot of very strong coffee. Her head was pounding from the alcohol she’d had the night before. She definitely couldn’t hold her liquor like she had in her twenties anymore!

Her mind kept pulling her back to the conversation she’d had with Sara. Were things really on the mend between them now? She couldn’t believe that after a lifetime of keeping secrets from her daughter she was finally able to be honest and that Sara was starting to accept the truth from her. Despite the current nausea and splitting headache she had, Dinah felt well and truly that she was on cloud nine. Could life get any better than this?

It was not long before she was joined by Rip, who poured himself a cup of coffee and took a seat next to his daughter.

“Morning dad!” She said, her voice chipper despite feeling as if she could fall asleep any second.

“You seem in a better mood.” He smiled. “You know I could see straight through all the fake smiles and fun anecdotes last night, don’t you?” 

“Of course you could, you’re my dad. It’s easier to put on a show though, isn’t it?” Dinah mused. That had always been her tactic when things got tough. If she could surround herself with enough people who thought that she was an unstoppable force of nature maybe one day she would start to feel like it. 

“Why else do you think I didn’t tell my crew about you and your mother?” Rip asked and Dinah nodded in acknowledgement. “What happened with Sara last night?”

“I think she realised we had more in common than she thought; that we had both lied to protect those we love from the ugly truths about us.” Dinah explained.

“She comes across as tough but she’s definitely insecure about her past with the League of Assassins. I suppose if anyone can help her through that, it’s you.”

“It’s not just the League. We’ve spoken about that before after I told her about the Silence training me to kill the Doctor. I think it helped her to hear from someone else what she was feeling inside. Being trained to kill changes something about you that very few people can understand. But it’s this bloodlust I think that’s really getting to her. I don’t know if she’ll ever feel ready to open up about that.”

Neither Dinah or Rip could even begin to imagine what Sara went through on a daily basis since she came back from the dead. She fought every minute of every day to keep her bloodlust under control. It hit Dinah that there was a striking similarity between Sara’s bloodlust and her father’s alcoholism. Both were at times all-consuming. Dinah had dealt with Quentin hitting the bottle for long enough, and seen him through numerous attempts at sobriety, to be able to recognise the patterns in his behaviour. She wondered if there was a way he could be of some help to Sara once she felt able to start facing her bloodlust. Dinah knew how much going to Alcoholics Anonymous meetings had helped Quentin. The people he met could understand what he was going through in a way that she never could. Maybe that’s what Sara needed. She pondered, half-jokingly and half deadly serious, if there was a Bloodlust Anonymous she could join.

“Give her time.” Rip reassured her, noticing his daughter falling deep in thought.

The pair were interrupted by Gideon. “Captain, there has been a change to the timeline. Should I call the rest of the team to meet you on the Bridge.”

“Yes please, Gideon.” Rip and Dinah made their way to the Bridge where they were slowly joined by the rest of the Legends, each one coming through the door looking more hungover than the last.

Once they were all assembled Gideon briefed them on the latest catastrophe. 

“It appears that a man named Tony Harper has been posing as a magician and has gained quite a following performing a magic show with what appears to be future technology well beyond the capabilities of the time period.” Gideon explained. “He claims to be able to make objects fly.”

“Damnit!” Dinah cursed. “My anti-gravity device!”

“That’s why the stone fell.” Ray added. “This ‘magician’ must’ve stolen it while we were under Stonehenge.”

“We can’t have him running around with it. Let’s send a small team out there to get it back.” Rip decided, glancing around at his crew who all looked like they were about to fall asleep where they stood after the amount they’d had to drink the previous night.

Sara jumped in. “Maybe mom and I could take this one?” She suggested, glancing at Dinah in time to see the biggest smile grow across her face.

“I don’t see why not, take the comms and let us know if you need any backup.” Rip said. “Gideon, set a course.”

Once they had arrived, Sara and Dinah stepped off the Waverider into a parking lot behind what looked to be an incredibly fancy hotel. As they walked up to the entrance, they noticed banners and billboards all announcing the showcase of ‘The Greatest Sorcerer’.

“He could’ve come up with a more imaginative name.” Sara commented as they approached the large double doors.

“What I don’t understand is how he got here. He must have access to time travel of his own somehow.” Dinah mused.

“If he stole your device I’d be willing to bet he’s stolen other futuristic or even alien tech as well.”

“You’re probably right, we should be prepared for him to have more technology we don’t know about.” Dinah agreed. “How are we going to get to him?” She asked Sara.

“Can you create a distraction while I try and find out where he’s staying? They’re bound to have a log book or something behind the desk with who is in each room.” 

Dinah nodded, a plan already forming in her head. She’d counted the hotel staff around as they’d entered and was confident that all of them besides the clerk at the reception desk were sufficiently distracted tending to hotel guests. Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out a lipstick and applied it with confidence as she walked straight up to the clerk. 

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Sara waiting to get behind the desk and find information she needed. She gave her a nod once she was sure she’d captured the attention of the clerk.

“Good evening, handsome.” She smirked and the clerk blushed. “My daughter and I were hoping to see the show tonight but I just don’t think I can wait that long for a little magic.”

Dinah leaned over and kissed the clerk with her hallucinogenic lipstick while also giving Sara a thumbs up to signal that she could sneak behind the desk. 

Sara, who’d heard more than one story about her mother’s infamous hallucinogenic lipstick, cringed with embarrassment as she stealthily took the clerk’s ID badge and looked through the hotel logs to try and find where the magician was staying. The clerk was standing right next to her giggling to himself and Sara was confident that he was completely out of it, which gave her plenty of time to flip through the log book twice but she still could not find any mention of the magician. She glanced up at Dinah and shook her head, before sneaking back to the other side of the desk before any other member of hotel staff caught them.

“The show’s in a couple of hours, maybe we just wait?” Dinah suggested. “We can catch him as he leaves.”

“That would also give us a chance to see if he’s using anything else he shouldn’t have in his show.” Sara pointed out. She activated her comms and filled the team in. They agreed to be ready to assist if it seemed the magician had more tech than Dinah and Sara could manage alone but Sara could tell they would all rather be in bed nursing their hangovers.

The two women walked up to the entrance to a grand dining hall which doubled as a theatre, providing entertainment to guests as they bought more and more the hotel’s overpriced food and drink. Dinah flashed what looked to Sara as a blank sheet of paper at the concierge who was stood by the door and the young woman waved them through.

“What was that?” Sara asked.

“Psychic paper, a gift from the Doctor many years ago. This little thing has got me out of a lot of trouble in the past.”

They grabbed a table at the front of the dining hall, right next to the stage. Luckily the hall was mostly empty, with only a few small parties occupying other tables.

Sara and Dinah chatted comfortably, much to the delight of both women. It had been too long that they’d felt they were walking on eggshells around one another and they had finally reached a point where the only big secrets between them were the inevitable spoilers that came from them both being time travellers. Dinah shared more about her childhood with Rip and Amy; stories she no longer had to edit and filter to avoid being caught in a lie. Sara was pleased to be able to get to know more about her mother’s early life and noticed herself feeling closer to Dinah than she had in a long time. 

“Do you think you’ll see him again?” Sara asked after Dinah had finished telling her of her latest encounter with the Doctor. It had been almost a year since their paths last crossed and she had just admitted to Sara how painful it had been to know he had been so close to her at Stonehenge yet just out of reach.

“I know I will, I just don’t know when.” She replied. Given how things were going, and a desire to move forward with nothing but honesty, she felt now was as good of a time as any to tell Sara the most painful part of her and the Doctor’s fated relationship. “We’re moving in opposite directions. Every time I see him he gets younger and he knows me less and less.”

“What about Rip and your mom?” 

Dinah bowed her head. She hadn’t told Rip this because she knew it would be too painful for him to hear. 

“I’ve seen them with him a couple of times. Not very often though and not for quite a few years. Sometimes I just see mom with the Doctor; dad didn’t always travel with them.”

“What’s it like seeing her again after she died?”

“Oh, it’s wonderful. It’s a gift.” Dinah gushed. “But at the same time absolutely heart-breaking.”

“Because you know you can’t save her?” Sara asked.

“Exactly. It’s hard enough keeping quiet about the small things, let alone something as big as this. I don’t know if you’ll ever see Laurel again but a part of me wishes you wouldn’t because it might just be the most painful thing you ever have to go through.”

The conversation dropped off after that; both women feeling heavy with the weight of the secrets they kept from their loved ones. Sara reached for the glass of champagne in front of her, hoping it would fill the silence somehow.

Never one to be comfortable with a quiet moment, Dinah gathered herself together and started asking Sara more about the other Legends. It seemed to have the desired effect as the pair were soon talking animatedly about the group of strays Rip had picked up and made into an unbreakable family.

On the other side of the dining hall two more people had just entered. One was a man with brown hair and a bow tie, and the other was a tall woman with fiery red hair that went down to her waist. They greeted the concierge politely, showing her a piece of paper which she accepted as their invitation into the dining room to see The Greatest Sorcerer. The couple headed towards the front, clearly hoping to get a good seat, until the eagle-eyed man spotted a mess of curly hair that looked awfully familiar.


End file.
